Boom!
A violent red light instantly swallowed the entire thicket. The blinding fireball swept dirt, splintered wood, and dead leaves into a scorching shock wave that tore across the surroundings.
Namikaze Minato's eyes darkened slightly, but he remained utterly calm. He lightly tapped the thick tree trunk with his toes, and his golden figure slid backward more than ten meters like a swift flying against the wind, landing steadily on a moss-covered branch.
The scorching air carried the thick smell of gunpowder straight into his face, sending the golden strands of hair over his forehead flying wildly.
Minato did not look at the crater blasted into scorched earth. His azure eyes swept rapidly across the surrounding treetops and ground. His mind reconstructed the scene in half a second.
There was no blood. No severed limbs. The Substitution Log fitted with the Explosive Tag had an extraordinarily smooth cut, while the mud smeared over its surface had perfectly concealed the wood's original scent. Even the ignition timing of the Explosive Tag had been precisely set for the instant he brushed aside the leaves.
This was not a desperate escape. This was a textbook counter-surveillance trap.
"He used the blast wave from the Explosive Tag to forcibly disperse the lingering Chakra scent in the air, then used the explosion's deafening sound to cover his footsteps as he escaped." Minato muttered to himself, his brows slowly drawing together.
A low-level ANBU cannon fodder had noticed that his Shadow Clone was tracking him while moving at top speed, then perfectly set up this chain trap within an extremely brief blind spot. Such mental fortitude and tactical awareness were absolutely beyond an ordinary Genin.
What exactly was that man codenamed "Owl" hiding?
Minato drew a specially made Flying Thunder God Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch and abruptly exerted force with his wrist.
Whoosh!
The Kunai turned into a black bolt of lightning and shot directly toward the area beneath the cliff shrouded in thick fog. He intended to use the Flying Thunder God spatial formula to forcibly probe for Chakra reactions at the bottom of the cliff.
Just as the Kunai pierced through the fog and was about to fall into the rushing river—
Beneath the cliff, on an inverted rock wall less than three meters above the water, Baishi clung tightly to the rough stone surface like a lifeless gecko.
The icy river water crashed furiously against the reefs, sending water spray filling the sky as the roar of the current shook the ears. Damp, cold wind poured backward through the river valley, blowing Baishi's black ANBU cloak tightly against his body.
There was not a ripple in Baishi's eyes beneath his Mask.
He had refined his max-level Lightning Release Chakra into an extremely delicate invisible film that clung tightly to the surface of his skin. The Lightning Release film emitted no aggression. Instead, it locked all the heat in his body, the sound of his heartbeat, and even his faint Chakra fluctuations inside him.
The Kunai engraved with the Flying Thunder God Formula plunged straight down with a sharp shriek of air, passing less than ten centimeters from the tip of Baishi's nose.
The spatial Chakra clinging to the Kunai caused a faint prickling sensation on the skin beneath Baishi's Mask.
He did not dodge. He did not even blink.
He knew very well that if he made any evasive movement and caused even the slightest change in the surrounding airflow, the blond genius above would instantly teleport over by following the airflow's path.
Plop.
The Kunai fell into the rushing river and was instantly swept away by the raging undercurrent without even raising a splash.
Above the cliff, Minato closed his eyes and carefully sensed the Flying Thunder God Formula's feedback.
Apart from the chaotic current and disordered natural energy, he found nothing.
A Shadow Clone possessed only one-tenth of the original's Chakra. After the high-speed pursuit just now and the sensory search at present, its Chakra had already run dry.
Minato opened his eyes. A rare sense of frustration flashed through his azure gaze. He took one last look at the fog-shrouded cliff that vanished into the depths, then formed a cross seal with both hands.
Bang.
A cloud of white smoke erupted, and the golden figure completely dispersed into the air.
Beneath the cliff.
Baishi remained pressed against the rock wall for a full three minutes. Only after confirming that there were no more traces of Chakra probing from above did he slowly release his fingers, which had been gripping the cracks in the stone.
With a burst of strength from his legs, Baishi lightly flipped halfway through the air and landed steadily on a slick reef by the riverbank.
He raised a hand and pushed his Mask up onto his head, revealing a pale, expressionless face.
The icy river wind brushed against his short hair. The corners of Baishi's lips rose with extreme slowness, pulling into a mocking and ruthless curve.
"The Yellow Flash, famed throughout the Shinobi World, is nothing special after all."
There was no dazzling Kekkei Genkai, no S-Rank ultimate technique capable of destroying heaven and earth. He had used nothing more than the most basic Substitution Technique, an inferior Explosive Tag bought on the black market, and an extreme exploitation of the terrain and psychological blind spots to send the future Fourth Hokage's Shadow Clone running in circles.
This was the absolute suppression brought about by an intelligence gap.
Minato relied far too heavily on his instincts and the Flying Thunder God. When a hunter grew accustomed to looking down upon his prey from a god's-eye view, what he most easily overlooked was often the most inconspicuous shadow beneath his feet.
Baishi put away his cold smile and pulled his ANBU Mask back over his face. The ghastly white Mask without a single pattern once again disguised him as that timid low-level cannon fodder.
He walked to the river, grabbed a handful of damp soil, and roughly smeared it across the hem of his cloak and his forehead Protector. Then he used a Kunai to slash open the fabric on his left arm and squeezed out a little blood to smear along the tear.
After completing this disguise, Baishi gathered his Lightning Release Chakra again. His figure blurred into a black shadow as he quickly climbed up the other side of the cliff, pursuing the direction in which the Venom Fang Squad had gone.
Deep in the Redwood Forest along the Land of Fire's border.
Venom Fang stood on a thick tree trunk, his eyes beneath his Mask fixed coldly on the forest behind them. Wildcat and Wild Boar stood on either side, maintaining a tactical alert formation.
"That useless piece of trash has been gone this long. Could he have died in the trap?" Wild Boar grumbled in a muffled voice.
"Dead would be best." Venom Fang let out a cold snort, though the hand gripping his Ninja Blade tightened unconsciously. "But if he dares desert in the middle of the operation, I'll twist his head off myself."
At that moment, a burst of hurried rustling came from the thicket ahead.
The three ANBU instantly tightened their grips on their weapons, murderous intent locking onto the source of the sound.
The branches and leaves were roughly shoved aside, and Baishi stumbled out of the forest, panting heavily. His cloak was covered in mud, and the fabric on his left arm had been torn open, with traces of blood faintly visible. He looked utterly bedraggled.
"Captain..." Baishi dropped to one knee on the tree trunk before Venom Fang, his voice trembling with unmistakable fear. "While checking the traps, I triggered a chain of Explosive Tags and nearly got blasted off the cliff. That's what delayed me. Please punish me, Captain!"
Venom Fang looked down at Baishi from above. His gaze swept inch by inch across the mud on Baishi's body, the torn hem of his clothing, and the violent panting he was deliberately displaying, like a venomous snake.
There was no flaw.
This was simply a weak-Chakra fool who could even injure himself this badly while checking traps.
"A piece of trash is still a piece of trash." The doubt in Venom Fang's eyes vanished completely, replaced by even heavier contempt. "If I didn't still have some use for you, I'd kill you right now. Get to the front and keep leading the way!"
"Yes!" Baishi lowered his head timidly, turned around obediently, and once again moved to the very front of the group.
The instant he turned his back on Venom Fang, Baishi's eyes beneath his Mask filled with icy killing intent.
Old bastard, enjoy your arrogance for a little while longer.
The four-man squad sped up again, weaving through the dense primeval forest. As they advanced deeper into the borderlands, the surrounding trees grew taller and larger. Their sky-blocking crowns completely cut off the sunlight, and the forest was filled with the rancid smell of decaying leaves mixed with wet mud.
Three hours later, the terrain suddenly dropped.
An extremely narrow Canyon appeared ahead. Steep cliffs a hundred meters high towered on either side, bare of even a blade of grass, exposing only dark-red layers of Rock Layer. Sunlight never reached the Canyon floor, where a layer of gray miasma lingered.
This was the only route to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, and also the perfect terrain for an ambush.
Venom Fang suddenly stopped and made a halt gesture.
The squad instantly took cover behind a massive boulder at the Canyon entrance.
"According to our intelligence, an Iwagakure spy squad is hiding ahead." Venom Fang lowered his voice and pointed toward a pile of rubble deep in the Canyon, his tone carrying an unquestionable command. "Owl, enter from the left and scout the enemy numbers at coordinate C-4. Remember, do not expose yourself. The moment you find the targets, signal us immediately."
Baishi crouched behind the boulder and looked in the direction Venom Fang had indicated.
Coordinate C-4.
The terrain there was extremely low, with no cover anywhere, leaving it completely exposed to the crossfire from the cliffs on both sides of the Canyon. More importantly, through the extremely keen sensory abilities granted by his max-level Lightning Release, Baishi clearly detected that the true Iwagakure Chakra signatures were not at C-4 at all. They were behind the B-2 cliff face high on the right!
Venom Fang was lying.
He had deliberately given a completely false coordinate, intending to send Baishi straight into the center of Iwagakure's field of vision as a live target.
At that moment, Wildcat, who had remained silent the entire time, subtly retreated half a step. His figure began merging into the shadows outside the Canyon. He was preparing to leave the squad and carry out Danzo's true mission of assassinating Minato.
The trap had finally been revealed.
The hunter had already cast his net and was preparing to wipe out the troublesome cannon fodder completely.
Baishi lowered his head and replied crisply, "Understood."
He raised no objections. He simply drew the short blade at his waist and, like bait that had noticed nothing, stepped alone into the gray miasma.
His boots scraped across the gravel on the Canyon floor, producing an almost inaudible sound.
Ten meters.
Twenty meters.
Thirty meters.
When Baishi reached the completely exposed clearing in the center of the Canyon, three black figures dropped abruptly from the towering cliffs on either side.
The heavy aura of Earth Release Chakra instantly sealed off all of Baishi's possible escape routes.
"A Konoha ANBU rat. You've got some nerve."
A hoarse, mocking voice echoed above the Canyon. Three elite shinobi wearing Iwagakure Protectors surrounded Baishi in a triangular formation. The leading Iwagakure Jonin already had both hands resting on his Ninja Tool Pouch, the thick muscles of his arms bulging as he gathered strength.
A hundred meters behind Baishi, concealed behind the massive boulder, Venom Fang watched coldly. A ruthless smile curled at the corner of his mouth as his right hand closed around the hilt of his Ninja Blade, ready to harvest the Iwagakure shinobi's remaining strength after they killed Baishi.
In the center of the Canyon, Baishi stopped.
He neither panicked nor turned around to call for Venom Fang's help.
He merely raised his head with extreme slowness. His ghastly white Mask looked especially grim within the shadowy miasma. Hidden beneath his wide sleeve, his right hand expertly pinched the edge of an Explosive Tag.